GORHAM — There’s a first time for everything.
For Thornton Academy, Monday night was the first time the girls soccer team defeated Gorham, routinely one of the best teams in Class A.
A mixture of strong defense, excellent goaltending and making the most out of offensive opportunities helped the Golden Trojans beat the Rams, 2-0.
“It’s a huge win, but we were ready for it,” Trojans captain Ellie Arsenault said. “We just came out and persevered right through it. It was just awesome.”
Both teams proved to be evenly matched during the first half of play, as possesion of the ball went back and forth.
The Trojans did not look like a team playing in a big-time game. In fact, before the game, the team stayed loose, cheering each other on during warmups.
The star of the first half was Thornton Academy goalkeeper Sydney Proctor, who kept the game scoreless with a diving save on a Gorham shot halfway through the half. Proctor also made her mark scooping up loose balls kicked her way, and also lept high on a Gorham corner kick to snair the ball from midair.
Thornton Academy coach Chris Kohl praised Proctor’s play.
“Sydney is a great keeper, and she came up with some great saves tonight when we needed them,” Kohl said. “She earned every single one of those saves.”
Offensively, neither team could knock a shot in the net, as the game was tied 0-0 at halftime.
The game remained the same until the halfway point of the second half, when Kaitlyn Hall pushed a pass over to Arsenault, who kicked the ball into the lefthand side of the net past Gorham goalkeeper Sarah Perkins to give the Trojans a 1-0 lead.
“I was just waiting for it up top. I saw it was gonna come through, because it was slippery out there, and it did, and I was praying that I wouldn’t shank it over,” Arsenault said. “So I kept it low and got it right through the goalie’s hands.”
Ten minutes later, Coburn added her own goal on a breakaway, solidifying the Trojans’ lead by a 2-0 score.
Proctor continued her dominance, making a save on a Kylie Perren kick with three minutes to play, earning the shutout, which is the only one thus far against the Rams this season.
“Gorham is the standard of the league,” Kohl said. “Any win against them is a nice win. Put a couple of goals in there, and I can’t remember the last time they were shut out.”
With the win, the Trojans (8-0-1) reside in first place in the Maine Principal Association Heal Point standings for Western Class A. Thornton Academey is one of only two teams left with an undefeated record, joing Greely, who has an 8-0-2 record.
The Trojans have five games remaining in the regular season, four against teams with no more than four wins on the season, before playing an Oct. 20 regular season finale against fourth place Scarborough, who boast a 7-1-1 record.
Thornton Academy hosts Biddeford on Wednesday afternoon in Saco.
— Contact Dave Dyer at 282-1535 ext. 315.
* An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified some of the players, this version has been corrected.
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